Ranma Blossoms
by Gaining Grace
Summary: While spring is blossoming outside Akane is stuck indoors with Ranma. Can the two survive one day alone together?
1. Pearls and Swine

The warm spring breeze wafted the scent of cherry blossoms in and out of the rooms of the Tendo home as all windows had been opened that day as a form of greeting for the season. The sun's rays filled Akane's room that afternoon as the shadows of blossoming tree branches danced across floor. Akane stared out the window wistfully, deeply inhaling the gentle sakura blossoms. This was her favorite time of year. The family had left the home in the early hours of the morning, on their way to the town's cherry blossom festival, and she would have given anything to have gone with them. Akane grabbed a tissue at the sensation of a sneeze coming on, and caught it just in time. Kasumi had been concerned with the cold she had recently caught, suggesting to the family that the youngest sister stay out of the cool air. But it was Dr. Tofu, who had recommended that she stay indoors for the next couple of days, who had sealed her fate. And so she was left at home with the promise of presents and plenty of pictures of the blossoming trees.  
  
She didn't need photos of the blossoms. She could see them as clear as day from her window. The one thing they couldn't bring home was the experience. Akane stared dreamily past the fenced in yard, imagining herself walking through the park, surrounded with blossoms as thick as snow. She smiled content as she recalled the sensation of petals falling upon her face. There would be no sensation this year. The blossoms only lasted for a few days, and Akane would not make it outdoors in time to enjoy them. She signed quietly to herself, with a smile on her face but a sinking heart. Being indoors today was like being in prison.  
  
"Come back here you stupid pig!!" roared Ranma, his threats tearing through the quiet of the home. Akane's smile was quickly replaced by a scowl. If being indoors was like prison, she truly could not stand its warden. Her father had decided that it was Ranma's duty to keep watch over his fiance in her ailing health, and his father could not help but agree. Akane had adamantly protested his presence for the day. "Honestly dad, I can take care of myself. It's just a little cold."  
  
The only one who had protested more than Akane was Ranma himself. "Yeah," he chimed in uninvited. "Why would I want to be stuck at home all day with some uncute tomboy?"  
  
Ranma had obviously recovered from the head wound caused by the kitchen table following his comment, as he ran throughout the house continuing his threats upon the squeaking black ball of fur. Akane's head whipped towards the direction of her door at it flew open at the presence of P-Chan. The tiny pig took one leap into the room and another into Akane's arms upon her bed as he was followed closely behind by Ranma. Akane held her pet closely against her chest as Ranma halted just inches away from her face. "You pervert!" she accused. "Haven't you heard of knocking?! What if you burst in here and I hadn't been dressed?"  
  
"Common Akane! It's not like you're dressed anyway," he challenged, eying her yellow pajamas. "You just keep that porker the hell away from me!"  
  
Akane noticed Ranma clutching his left arm in his right. "What happened to you?" she asked in a half-caring manner.  
  
Ranma held his left arm in front of her face, removing his right to reveal the deep bitemarks embedded into his forearm. Akane gasped lightly at the sight of it, and started him with her sincere reaction. She carefully took his arm in her hands as she studied it more closely, with P-Chan sitting in her lap growling at the intruder. Ranma relaxed his fist in her grips, with her touch sending goose bumps up his arm. They both noticed his reaction at the same time and blushed slighly as a result. "Does it hurt?" she asked with concern.  
  
Ranma stuck his right hand behind his head, trying to play it cool. "Nah, it's not so bad," he replied. "After going up against Hopposai on a regular basis, you think that light weight can hurt me?"  
  
P-Chan growled in response and lunged at Ranma's arm for a second shot. This time, Ranma was on guard. He swung his left arm around and slammed his fist against the top of its head. "Look here, Bacon Bit, if you wanna start again..." he warned.  
  
Akane's face darkened in response, as if she suddenly recalled that Ranma was there as a hindrance instead of someone to help her. Her fist shot out instinctively, but Ranma was still on top of his game. He leaned backwards just enough for her hand to breeze past his forehead, aimed for right between the eyes. "Keep your hands off of P-Chan!" she demanded. "Didn't your father ever teach you not to pick on the weak?"  
  
Ranma stared at her in disbelief. "The weak?! Am I losing it or did I not just show you where he made his mark?" he retorted, shoving his arm in front of her face once again.  
  
This time he was met with indifference, as Akane turned away, her nose in the air. "Well, you must have done something to provoke him."  
  
Ranma pulled his arm back as P-Chan lunged for him once again, catching the pig by the ear this time and tossing him back into Akane's lap. "Fine, side with the livestock! You just make sure that holy terror stays away from me," he growled as he turned away, heading back out of the room. "And you keep that in mind, Ryoga."  
  
Akane cocked her head at his response. "Why do you insist on calling him 'Ryoga'? You just sound crazy when you do that."  
  
Ranma turned back towards her briefly. "Crazy for a boy who turns into a girl?" he questioned in a telling response and left the room to allow her to think it over. 


	2. For Here Or To Go?

The pleasing warmth of the sunlight within the house had left Akane stubbornly refusing to spend the day laying about her room, whether she was sick or not. She vowed to bathe herself in the spring day, even if it was within the boundaries of the doors and windows, as she exchanged her pajamas for a pink and yellow sundress and made her way down the stairs with P-Chan cuddled in her arms. She stopped short on the bottom step at the sound of the television blaring in the next room, frowning at the thought of another encounter between Ranma and her little pig. P-Chan seemed to sense the martial artist's presence as well as a tiny growl swelled up within his throat. Akane looked down at her pet, pausing for a moment to decide the best course of action before briskly walking down the hall and to the front door where she deposited the pig on the front step. P-Chan looked up at her with an expression that she could almost swear was blended with shock and disappointment. "I'm sorry, baby," she apologized to the little black bundle, "but I can't have you and Ranma tearing up the house today. I just don't have the energy."  
  
She slid the heavy wooden panel door closed behind her as P-Chan swore to himself that he would brighten her day. How could she resist Ryoga protecting her from that beast who remained with her in the house? Now if he could only find the public baths. They couldn't be that far off...  
  
Akane headed into the dining/family area of the home to find Ranma in front of the television, sprawled out on the floor. His body was propped up with his elbow, with his head resting in his hands. He looked incredibly bored. It was not often that she saw him like this. The pig-tailed boy almost always seemed to be in motion, even if it was just walking around the house. Ranma looked up at her as she entered the room, nearly startled by her presence. "What are you doing down here?" he questioned.  
  
Akane immediately took his words as a threat. "Since when have I been banned from rooms in my own house?" she challenged.  
  
Ranma only rolled his eyes in response. "Aw man, you dad going to kick my butt if you are any worse by the time he gets back."  
  
"I don't think that my moving into the living room is going to cause a sudden fever, Ranma. And why are you in here anyway? You hate watching t.v."  
  
"Are you kidding? You family made me stay home to take care of you. I'd never hear the end of it if I left you here."  
  
Akane turned her head away, sticking her nose in the air, refusing to lose her cool this time. "I can take care of myself, thank you!"  
  
"Yeah, whatever," mumbled Ranma, as he continued to stare at the flashing screen before him.  
  
She stood behind him for another moment or so with her feet shoulder-length apart and her arms crossed in a disapproving manner, much like a mother hovering over her little boy who had done something wrong. Finally bored with his lack of interest in her, Akane plopped down next to Ranma in an Indian-style position, allowing herself to fall into the television's trance. The two sat there for a good five minutes, drawn in by the seductive glow of the box that stood before them, before either of them spoke. "What exactly are you watching?" asked Akane, finally breaking the silence between them, neither one's eyes straying from the television.  
  
"Tenchi."  
  
"So I'm supposed to believe that this guy is constantly surrounded by beautiful women, all of whom are in love with him?"  
  
Ranma shrugged with a smirk on his face. "Far fetched, I know. This is just anime, Akane. Just fiction. You know that none of this crap happens in real life."  
  
*BOOM* Both Akane and Ranma jumped several feet in the air at the sound of split boards and broken glass, as if a wall had collapsed behind them. They were nearly correct in that assumption as Shampoo now stood before them, with her bicycle behind the dinner table and in front of a wall that now bore her shape. Ranma's look of surprise slipped into an expression of a boredom once again, as Akane now wore the look of extreme annoyance.  
  
"Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo greeted her love as bubbly as ever.  
  
Ranma mustered his greatest lack of enthusiasm ever, sensing Akane next to him who was herself building to a slow steam. "Shampoo, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Aiya! Today too nice for fiancée to be couped up in house all by self. Shampoo come to keep company and bring tasty ramen." She replied as she presented him with a paper box filled with a smooth and tasty aroma.  
  
"He is NOT alone! But I sure with that I WAS!!" Akane yelled out in reply.  
  
For the first time, Shampoo's gaze fell upon the short-haired girl and her smile slipped into a look of utter disappointment. "Oh, you here too. You have nothing better to do that sit around here?"  
  
Akane opened her mouth in protest, but had no time to respond before a giant spatula penetrated the wall, next to the other gaping hole, and landed atop the table with fresh okonomiyaki. Akane's mouth dropped even lower on account of shock now and Ranma began to realize the trouble that he was getting into, even if it wasn't his fault. Not like that ever mattered...  
  
Ukyou bounded through the newest wall opening and right up to Ranma, oblivious to Shampoo. "Ranma honey. I heard that you were stuck inside all day, and I can't just let you go hungry!"  
  
Ranme looked down at her in confusion. "What makes you think that I would go hungry?"  
  
"Well, look at the company you're keeping," she responded, nodding in Akane's direction. "No offense, hon," she added quickly in a weak attempt to smooth over the angry girl's hurt feelings. 


	3. Food Fight

The unexpected company in the living room was more than enough for Akane to deal with, no matter if she was sick or not, and retreated to the confines of the kitchen. Although muffled, the cooing noises coming from the girls inside of the house were still audible and she began to knock around pots and pans in a vain attempt to drown out the sickening sounds. Kasumi had not left Ranma and Akane empty handed for lunch. The rice cooker had been filled and a small container of pork and vegetables sat in the refrigerator for when they got hungry. Akane was quite thankful that lunch preparations had not been left to her. Otherwise she might find out what truly sick was! She placed the cold pork dish on a plate, afraid of ruining it if she tried to heat it up, spooned some rice into a bowl, and stood next to the counter as she ate. The dish was tasty and filling, but not nearly as good when it was still steaming from being fresh from the pan. The inviting scents of Shampoo and Ukyo's dishes wafted subtley into the kitchen, intermingling with the frigid smell of sweet and sour pork. Akane began to hum to herself as she ate, but began to find herself more and more irritated. Honestly, she was the one who was sick in her OWN house.  
Ranma could have at least asked her if she minded company when she was feeling under the weather. Now she felt cornered in the kitchen, like a prisoner in her home. 

Akane stuffed a large ball of rice into her mouth and chewed slowly as frown lines became more distinct atop her forehead. Her mind drilled away at the supposed scene going on in the other room, as the sounds of giggling enhanced her thoughts. Finally she could take no more. She slammed down her rice bowl and stormed out of the kitchen with the plate of pork in hand.

Ranma had a rather miserable and pathetic expression on his face while surrounded by the two beaming cooks as they shoved plates of hot food under his nose. "Try this! Shampoo made especially for husband," urged Shampoo as she placed the dish on the table befor him.

"No, try this one, sugar. I know how much you love my okonomiyaki," argued Ukyo, as she slid her plate in place of Shampoo's. 

Shampoo glared at the giant spatuala-wielding girl. "You butt out. Ranma like Shampoo's ramen much better than nasty pancake!"

"What do you mean nasty!" demanded Ukyo. "I made mine from scratch, right of the griddle. You probably just added water and powdered flavoring to make yours."

"Shampoo do no such thing. That is great insult to Amazons."

"Well if the slipper fits..."

Ranma pulled his collar away from his throat as things were beginning to heat up in the room from the flaming tempers. Suddenly a plate came flying across the table, knocking the other two dishes across the room.

"RANMA!"

Ranma swallowed hard. Akane appeared in the doorway almost as quickly as her plate had. "Akane. Um...what's up?"

Akane growled and Ranma knew instantly that he had said the wrong thing. Shampoo and Ukyo fell silent and Akane entered the living room and knelt at the other end of the table, across from where Ranma sat. "What is the matter with you? You know that Kasumi went to all that hard work preparing lunch for us while the family was out today.  
Are you just going to let it go to waste?"

"N-no, I wouldn't do that. It's just th-that..." Ranma began to stammer.

"It's just that what, Ranma?"

Shampoo and Ukyo's eyes bounced back and forth like tennis balls watching the argument bounce back and forth.

"You know, I just didn't expect the girls to-"

"That's right, you didn't expect the girls to inundate you with food. So now you are going to dishonor Kasumi by letting her meal go to waste?"

"Akane, it's not like that."

"Well what is it like then?"

"You won't even give me a chance to explain."

"You aren't explaining much."

"Oh, you are an impossible, uncute tomboy."

"And you're a dirty pervert!"

"You are very rude girl!" interrupted Shampoo, causing both Ranma and Akane to turn in her direction.

"Excuse me?" inquired Akane quietly.

Ranma felt himself sink lower behind the table. This would go no where good.

"Shampoo say that you are rude. Crazy girl need mind her own business."

"Rude," shouted Akane much louder this time. "Look who's talking! You two are the ones who crashed into the house, uninvited. Who is going to fix the holes in the walls! Then you tell ME that I'm rude for being in a room in my own house!"

Shampoo nodded in a frowned response. "Well, you gotta admit hon, you are a little out of control," agreed Ukyo.

Akane threw her hands up into the air. "You are impossible."

She stomped towards the exit, stopping momentarily to glare at Ranma over her shoulder. "You three clearly deserve each other. I hope that you are all happy."

"It be better if only two," mumbled Shampoo quietly, but not enough for Ukyo not to take notice.

Ranma sat dumbfounded by what had taken place. He silently watched Akane make her way upstairs once again, and then looked down at the glistening pork in front of him, drowning out the two bickering girls behind him. 


	4. Wise Men And Fools

The sun had slowly begun to set, sending rays of soft golden light into the Tendo home through the massive holes in the walls that had been previously left by Shampoo and Ukyo's visit. They had left some time ago, most reluctantly,  
at Ranma's insistance. It had taken some time and much convincing, but the pig-tailed boy had finally find peace as he began to patch the unnatural openings with spare boards that the Tendos now seemed to always have in stock now. The hammering reverberated through the living room with each knock, a constant reminder of recent events that had taken place. As each echo reached his ear, the more irriated he felt and the more unfocused he became until the tool made direct contact with his finger.

Ranma grunted loudly, dropping the hammer to the floor and stuffing the throbbing fingertip into his mouth. "Man, why does this stuff always have to happen to me," he moaned, feeling particularly sorry for himself. "Why did Akane have to get so moody? It's not like I asked those girls to come over. Stupid tomboy..."

He hopped down from the ladder to take a better look at his work. Though protected from the elements, the patched crevices would not be hard for Genma and Soun to notice when they returned. "Great, now I'm really going to get it," he complained, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous habit. 

He had already swept up all of the bits of broken china and cleaned the reminance of ramen and other food items from the walls, suddenly missing the usefulness of Kasumi around the house. The plate of pork still stood before him,  
completely untouched, from where it had landed, unscathed, from Akane's hand. She came to Ranma's mind once again,  
the image of her in the doorway wearing an expression that he couldn't quite read ran through his head. It had been a few hours since she had retired upstairs. Ranma shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he pushed a bit of lint around the floor with his toe. "I guess I should go upstairs and apologize to Akane. She didn't have to run away like that, but I guess I could have gotten the troublemakers out a little sooner. The stairs had never seemed so long to him before, and seemed to linger before him forever as he slowly made his way up and down the hall.  
The forboding yellow duck stood before him and he hesitated before summoning up enough courage to make contact with the door using his knuckles. His greeting was returned with silence. "Um...Akane?" he sputtered.

There was still no answer to his beckoning. He stood for a moment, unsure what to do next. The door was open just enough for him to expose a slim line of sea foam green paint from her far wall, but little else. Ranma slowly pushed the door in a little farther, anticipating a mallet to come out at any moment. "Akane, can I talk to you for a sec?"

The door was now open to bring the whole of Akane's room into view. As usual, her room was immaculate. The curtains were still drawn back to allow the brassy shafts of the late sun to lounge lazily across her bed, which was still made. Akane was not there. Ranma sat for a moment, surprised by her absence, scanning the room for any sign of her. The corner of his eye caught a pink ribbon that had adorned her hair earlier in the day before the unexpected visitors had made their appearance. A sudden through ran through his head. He briskly walked across the room to the closet and threw the doors open before him, searching for an item of clothing that, as he had suspected, was missing. He turned around, eyebrows slouched across his face in anger. "She wouldn't..."

"Hiyah!"

The brick crumbled almost effortlessly beneath the weight of Akane's flying fist. She paused for a moment in her follow through, eyeing he work, and then pulled herself back up into standing position. Her body felt heavier than normal and the work-out was beginning to take a toll on her so early on. She placed a hand against her chest,  
feeling the racing of her heart, as she took deep beaths in order to calm her heavy breathing. She felt out of shape,  
but that was far from the case as she practiced nearly every day. She sighed in defeat, realizing that her illness had affected her more than she would like to realize. Who knew that a cold could put her so far behind in her abilities? A tickle formed in her throat and she succumbed to a few coughs, finding them to bellow deep from within her chest, the noise echoing against the dojo walls, overpowering the sliding noise coming from the shoji door behind her.

"AKANE!"

Akane, whirled around with eyes wide open, quite started at the sound of her name. The expression had nearly matched that of her father's from back in her childhood days. The expression behind it meant that she was in trouble. Ranma stood before her with the cool wind sneaking into the dojo. She tried to relax in his presence, but his body language could not help but make her feel as though she should not have been there. "R-Ranma-" she greeted quietly.

Ranma wasn't leaning in the doorway as he normally did when he watched her practice. Instead he stood several feet into the room with his arms folded, a look of true anger covered his face. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?" he exploded, making her jump a little at his sudden burst. 

This wasn't like him at all and Akane hesitated instead of snapping back as she normally did. She fidgeted with the belt on her gi, the same piece of clothing that Ranma had identified as missing from her closet. She finally answered, trying to regain her confidence, and yet finding it far more difficult than normal. "I just thought that I would come out to the dojo for a little work-out," she innocently responded.

"A work-out? Akane, you're sick! Any true martial artist would know better."

Akane scowled. "What do you mean true martial artist? Just because I'm not as good as you doesn't make me a bad one!"

Ranma's face darkened. "Akane, stop acting like a child."

Akane was completely taken aback. This was not one of their typical arguments. Ranma's words were completely serious and she could see it. A flash of lightening lit up in the doorway, just behind the pig-tailed boy as the booming of thunder followed closely behind, but he did not even flinch. Raindrops began to dance on the dojo roof, sending a sweet fragerance into the room, something that the petite girl would have normally indulged in. The circumstances in the room, however, left the moment completely unappreciated. Akane studied his face closely, and couldn't deny the pained look in his eyes. Was that the look of disappointment? He could tell that she was suprised by his sudden outburst, but at the moment it didn't concern him. He took a few steps closer to her before continuing. "You were left at home today because you were sick."

"It's only a cold." She released an additional short series of coughs as though they happened on cue.

"It's getting worse. You need to take care of yourself."

"I know how to take care of myself." 

"Then DO it!"

Akane's eyes widened and fell silent again. This time Ranma was not going to back down. "Dammit, Akane, you were my responsibility today. You were MY responsibility!"

Her delicate hands clenched and unclenched one another in front of her, as her eyes studied the wooden floor beneath her. She would have normally argued that she never asked to be his responsibility and demanded that he mind his own business, but she was left with nothing to say. He had made her feel like a fool. "I'm sorry," she wispered, and rushed past him quickly into the storm that lay behind him.

Her stinging tears mixed with the rain that fell all around her as she blindly made her way towards the house, with Ranma following closely behind her. "Akane," he called to her in an almost gurling noise as he began to take his form in waterlogged dusk. 

Another bolt of lightening lit up the darkness that now surrounded them, following by a burst of thunder that nearly shook the ground beneath them. Akane whimpered quietly at the deafening noise that startled her, and felt a sudden flood of pain as she crumbled to the ground in a heap. "AKANE!"

The lights that once led the way to the house flickered and then left the two in a veil of night. 


End file.
